Roasted quail with cranberry and
pistachio stuffing and a honey and mandarin glaze
Quails are tiny little birds – for
lighter eaters you can get away with 1 quail per person but otherwise it is
best to serve 2 quails each
Roasted
quail with cranberry and pistachio stuffing and a honey and mandarin glaze
The flavour combinations glaze
·
60ml (¼ cup) fresh mandarin juice
·
15ml (1 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
·
60ml (¼ cup) honey
Quails
·
125ml (½ cup) spring onions, thinly sliced
·
60g (½ cup) dried cranberries
·
60ml (¼ cup) pistachios, shelled
·
50g (½ cup) coarse breadcrumbs, toasted
·
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
·
800g (4) quails, washed and dried 1 mandarin,
sliced into quarters
·
125ml (½ cup) rosé wine
·
5ml (1 tsp) mustard
·
15ml (1 tbsp) fresh cream 1 mandarin, segmented
·
Couscous, to serve
·
Green salad, to serve
·
Microherbs, to serve
How to do it
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. For the glaze, heat all of the ingredients together in a saucepan over
medium heat and set aside.
3. For the quails, make the stuffing by combining
the spring onions, cranberries, pistachios and breadcrumbs, and season. Stuff
the cavities of the quails and tie up the legs to keep the stuffing inside. Place
the quails on a baking tray. Brush each bird with the glaze and top with a
mandarin slice. Roast the quails until golden and cooked through, basting
atleast3timesduringthecooking process, 20 – 25 minutes.
4. Remove the quails from the roasting tray and set aside. Pour the
wine and mustard into the warm tray with the pan drippings. Heat to loosen the
pan drippings and stir to form a sauce. Stir in the cream and mandarin segments
and cook, about 2 minutes.
5. Serve the quails with the sauce, couscous, green salad and
microherbs.
Cook’s tip
If you would like to add even more flavor to
this dish, marinate the quails in 125ml (½ cup) olive oil, 60ml (¼ cup) red
wine vinegar and 15ml (1 tbsp) crushed garlic. Place in a big sealable plastic
bag, add the birds, shake to coat and leave to marinate in the fridge, about 30
minutes, before stuffing them.
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